This invention relates to a hand stamp.
As the conventional hand stamp, there can be mentioned a hand stamp having a flat and fixed printing body and a rotational hand stamp in which a printing body can be rotated. In each of these hand stamps, however, a stamp pad should inevitably be used, and every time stamping is conducted, the hand stamp should be pressed to the stamp pad so that stamp ink is transferred from the stamp pad to the letter surface of the printing body of the hand stamp. Accordingly, when such conventional hand stamp is used, the stamping operation is troublesome and the operation efficiency is very low.
As means for overcoming the foregoing defect involved in the conventional hand stamps which should be used in combination with the stamp pad, I previously proposed various hand stamps comprising a porous rubbery printing body having an infinite number of interconnecting cells and an ink absorber for transferring ink to the printing body and rotational hand stamps comprising an integrated assembly of a porous rubbery printing body having an infinite number of interconnecting cells and a tough endless cloth, and an ink absorber for transferring ink to the assembly from the back surface thereof. These hand stamps are epoch-making hand stamps for which a stamp pad need not be used.
More specifically, a hand stamp of one conventional type proposed by me comprises a frame body, an ink absorber contained in said frame body, a printing body composed of a porous material having an infinite number of interconnecting cells and disposed in contact with said ink absorber, said printing body being provided with a printing letter portion projecting slightly from the end of said frame body, a leg frame disposed and supported inside said frame body so that it can project from or cave in from the position of said printing letter portion, said leg frame having an opening allowing said printing letter portion to pass therethrough, and a spring for pushing the leg frame to project it from the position of said printing letter portion.
In a hand stamp of this type, ink absorbed and stored in the ink absorber is fed to the printing body and ink is always caused to ooze out on the pring letter portion of the printing body. In case stamping is conducted, the top end of the leg frame is pressed to the paper surface and at this point, the leg frame is caused to cave in against the spring, whereby the printing letter portion of the printing body is contacted with the paper surface and stamping is accomplished. While this hand stamp is not used, since the leg frame is allowed to project from the ink-oozing printing letter portion by the elastic force of the spring, even if the hand stamp is placed on a desk or the like, it is not blurred with ink or a finger or hand is not stained with ink.
In a hand stamp of this type, however, since the leg frame is disposed inside the frame body, the size or contour of the end edge of the frame body, is relatively large as compared with the that of the printing letter portion having predetermined size and the contour of the leg frame is smaller than that of the frame body. Accordingly, when the hand stamp is placed on a desk or the like with the leg frame being contacted with the surface of the desk, the stability is very low. Further, at the hand stamp assembling step, since it is necessary to dispose the leg frame in the interior of the frame body prior to installation of the ink absorber and printing body in the frame body, the assembling step is complicated and troublesome.
A hand stamp of another conventional type proposed by me comprises a frame body; a shaft attached to an almost central portion of the frame body and a plurality of rotary members supported rotatably on said shaft, each of said rotary members comprising an annular plate having non-skid teeth on the peripheral edge thereof and a hanging cylinder mounted on one side face of said annular plate, a plurality of ridges having a cone-shaped section being formed on the outer side face of said hanging cylinder, being arranged in the axial direction of said hanging cylinder and being spaced equidistantly in the peripheral direction; a bridge member laid on the lower end of said frame body; and a plurality of printing bodies of an endless belt form hung around the hanging cylinders of respective rotary members and around said bridge member, each of said printing bodies having on the surface thereof an infinite number of printing letter portions.
In the hand stamp of this type, when the annular plates having non-skid teeth are grasped with fingers and respective hanging cylinders are rotated, by virtue of friction between the ridges on each hanging cylinder and printing bodies of an endless belt form engaged with said ridges, said printing bodies can be rotated. In case the distance in the peripherical direction between two adjoining ridges corresponds to the size of each printing body of an endless belt form in the lengthwise direction, namely in case the number of the ridges is relatively small, since the ridges are engaged with the endless printing bodies with a relatively sharp engaging angle, the friction caused between them is relatively large, and hence, the rotation power of the hanging cylinders is transmitted to the endless printing bodies assuredly. However, in this case, a relatively large force is required for rotation of the hanging cylinders.
In case the distance in the peripheral direction between the two adjoining ridges is relatively small, namely in case the number of the ridges is relatively large, since the engaging angle between the ridges and the endless printing bodies is relatively obtuse, the friction caused between them is relatively small, and hence, the transmission of the rotation power of the hanging cylinders to the printing bodies of an endless belt form is not assured.